Finding Ziva, Going Home
by jozivabellepattersonfan
Summary: The farmhouse burns, Orli brings Tali to Tony, and they take down Kort - but Ziva's body is not found in the ashes of the farmhouse. It's assumed she's alive. There's only one person who can find her, but it's not the person you expect. Ellie-centric.
1. Chapter 1

The lights were dim in the squad room. Ellie sat on the floor between Tim and Tony's desks, earbuds in, files and empty bags of chips spread out around her. She bit her lip as she picked up first one, then another, all the while typing furiously on her laptop. She had to find the answer. Gibbs had told them to go home and sleep on it, and Tony and Tim had done so without question. But Ellie couldn't turn off her brain, and her brain said that the answer had to be here, somewhere.

A small part of her was always analyzing herself. She didn't like the current analysis: that she was avoiding going home to her empty apartment again, that she would rather work nonstop for the next week than think about Jake. She knew that overworking herself would only make things worse in the long run. She'd read and even written enough studies to know that. But Ellie couldn't go home, even after months of living alone, and so she was here, working, searching, focusing on something that she could change.

She heard a click, and the lights flicked on. She looked up, startled. Who would be here at – she checked her watch – 2:37 AM? She suspected Gibbs, or Abby, or the director, and was preparing a defense for herself when Tim came around the corner.

"Hey, Bish," he said. "Find anything?"

She shook her head. "The answer's here, though," she told him. "I know it is."

"What are you thinking? Tell me what you know." Tim put his backpack on his desk and settled on the floor next to her.

Ellie cocked her head at him. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I figured you'd still be here, and Delilah's out of town."

"That's not an answer."

He leaned back against the cubicle wall, looking up at the ceiling. "Back when I was a probie, there was a case that consumed me."

"Ari Haswari," Ellie guessed.

"That's the one. You know the story, I assume?" She nodded. "I wanted to get the guy, and I knew Gibbs did, too. So I modified a facial recognition search. Stayed here the whole night in order to finish it."

"And it worked, right?"

"Yeah. The point is, I couldn't have done it if Abby hadn't stayed with me all night. I did the legwork, she gave me ideas and kept me motivated. I figured, tonight, you're doing the legwork. I can be your Abby." He shifted so that he could look over Ellie's shoulder. "So tell me what you know, Bishop. Where do you think Ziva is?"

* * *

I'm branching out into a new fandom today. This is my first time writing NCIS fanfiction, so let me know what you think! I am always up for improving my writing, and I welcome constructive criticism.


	2. Chapter 2

Ellie moved her computer from her lap to the floor and picked up a file folder. "Before I tell you, keep in mind, I know I don't know Ziva nearly as well as you guys do–"

"–And that may be the reason you'll be able to find her when we haven't," Tim interrupted. "So tell me."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. Ziva was – is – incredibly secretive. The fact that Tony was able to find her two years ago means that she _wanted_ him to find her, because otherwise, she would have gone to ground and never been seen again."

"I'm following you so far."

"As far as we know, until three days ago, Ziva didn't want to be found. Tony hadn't heard from her since he left Israel, and if there was anyone she'd want to talk to, it would be him, right?" She didn't wait for confirmation from Tim, instead continuing at her usual rapid rate. "She obviously wanted _Tali_ to be found. She let Orli find Tali. But she didn't let Orli find _her._ Ziva thinks she's still in danger, and she wants Tali to be safe while she either..." Now she hesitated.

"While she either eliminates the threat or goes to ground," Tim supplied.

"Yes. Those are the only two options I see."

"Which do you think she's doing?" he asked.

"What do you think? You know her better."

"I have an idea," he admitted. "But I want to hear your thoughts first."

"I think she's eliminating the threat," Ellie said. She opened the file folder and held out a single sheet of paper. Tim took it, skimming it quickly before raising wide eyes to meet Ellie's.

"You think she's eliminating _this_ threat? But Kort–"

"She was insanely secretive, yet Kort was able to order an attack on her home. How did he know where her home was? The only people who knew were Tony, her friend Schmeil, and Orli. She trusted Tony and she trusted Schmeil. She didn't trust Orli. So why did she tell Orli?"

"To draw out the threat," Tim breathed. "She knew an attack would come eventually if she told Orli about the farmhouse. But the attack didn't come from Orli. It came from one of the people in Orli's office. She knew there was a leak at Mossad, and she intentionally endangered herself to reveal it."

"The question is, how did she know when the attack would come?" Ellie picked up a sheaf of papers and rifled through them without looking down. "How did she know that she would be able to get Tali to safety? That's the part that doesn't make sense to me."

"Back up for a minute," Tim said, putting the paper down. "How do you know that Liat is the mole?"

"It makes sense." Ellie got to her feet and started to pace. "She's risen in the ranks recently. She's Orli's right-hand person, and from the reports I've found, Orli treats her like a daughter. Who else would Orli tell about the farmhouse? She's not married, she doesn't have any kids, she doesn't even appear to have any close friends or relatives to tell. Liat's the only person who makes sense."

"But why would Liat betray her country? Loyalty's a big deal in Israel, and particularly in Mossad."

"Money," Ellie said simply. She hopped over a couple of bags of chips and produced yet another folder from her desk, tossing it to Tim. "Check out her financials. I'm not quite as talented as you, but I did managed to find an account she holds in Switzerland, and another in the Cayman Islands. She's rich. Like, beyond rich. She doesn't get that from Mossad."

Tim nodded as he looked over the files. "Geez, you're right. Okay, so we've figured out how the information got to Kort. But that doesn't tell us–"

"Where Ziva is now," Ellie finished, leaning against her desk. "Exactly."

* * *

Here's chapter 2! In case you're confused, we met Liat in "Enemies Foreign/Enemies Domestic" in season 8. Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! I'm glad you like that I'm involving Ellie. Contrary to what seems to be popular opinion, I actually like Ellie's character. She's not Kate or Ziva and that's okay with me. She's unique, just like they were, and I hope I portray her accurately in this story.


	3. Chapter 3

"The question we should be asking is, where's Liat right now?"

"I don't know," Ellie admitted. They had moved to the back room of Abby's lab, where she kept pillows and blankets. Ellie was sitting with her back against the wall, a blanket over her legs, while Tim was spinning absently in Abby's chair, staring up at the ceiling.

"You don't know because..."

"She's off the radar, supposedly on a classified assignment. Like I said, I'm not as talented as you. I couldn't crack the Mossad database."

Before she'd even finished speaking, Tim had planted his feet on the floor to stop the chair and starting typing on his laptop. "Good thing I'm talented," he told her with a grin. "Keep talking."

"If you figure out where Liat is, that's probably where Ziva is. She was able to get information on when the strike would happen, so she's probably got someone giving her information. Kind of like a mole who only reports to Ziva."

Tim's fingers stilled on his laptop before he said, "Malachi, probably," and continued to type.

"Okay. So Malachi tells Ziva the intel and she's able to get Tali to safety before going after Liat. Does Orli know any of this?"

"No," Tim replied without pausing. "She doesn't trust Orli, so if she doesn't want Orli to know, then she doesn't know."

"Okay. So wherever Liat is, Ziva is, and Orli's none the wiser. What about Malachi? Who would he side with if it came down to it?"

"If he knows that Liat is dirty, he'll be working with Ziva to take her down."

That was an idea that Ellie hadn't considered. "So Malachi not only gets the intel to Ziva – he's helping her too?"

"I think so." Tim shrugged. "He's loyal to country before all else. If he thinks Liat is a threat, and he doesn't think Orli will help him take her down, then he's working with Ziva."

"That's a lot of 'ifs,'" Ellie pointed out.

"A lot of 'ifs' that make sense, given that Ziva didn't die in the strike," Tim replied. "Aha!" He turned his laptop around so she could see the screen. "Liat is in Madrid."

"Then so is Ziva. But what's her plan? She's not a ruthless killer anymore."

"But Liat almost killed her daughter," Tim reminded her. "If Liat had just threatened Ziva, she would be angry, definitely – but she threatened Tali. That's a completely different ball game to a mother."

"We have to tell Gibbs and Tony." Ellie levered herself to her feet. "Come on."

* * *

Chapter 3 is up! Let me know if all of this is making sense, because I'm not entirely sure. :P Thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and reviewed! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story!


	4. Chapter 4

They mutually decided that it would be best to get some sleep and tell their teammates in the morning. Tim was used to sleeping at work; he was out like a light, comically draped in Abby's chair. Ellie was lying on a blanket on the floor, thinking.

If Ziva didn't want to be found, then she wouldn't be found. It was that simple. What wasn't simple was Tali. That changed everything. Ziva would want to be found if it meant reuniting with her daughter, but she would want to eliminate the threat to her daughter's life first. She wouldn't take kindly to anyone, not even Tony, finding her and stopping her before she accomplished her mission.

She wouldn't take kindly to anyone she _knew_ finding her, not if they wanted to prevent her from killing Liat. But Ziva didn't know Ellie, and Ellie had no interest in stopping her – only helping her and bringing her home when she was done.

Ellie knew it was a stupid idea. She knew that Ziva would likely kill her, or at least disable her, on sight. But she also knew that Tim was right – she might be able to find Ziva _because_ she didn't know her as well. Tim, Tony, Gibbs, they were all too close. Ellie was not. And she wasn't about to let Tony go after her, not when he had Tali to think of. Tali had to be left with at least one of her parents.

Tony had Tali. Tim had Delilah. Gibbs had Mike's daughter and granddaughter. They were all necessary to the lives of other people. But Ellie? She wasn't necessary to anyone's life. She was expendable. And she would use that knowledge here, to help Ziva and bring her home.

That small part of her, the part that was always analyzing herself, was putting up red flag after red flag in her head. It was saying that this was a suicide mission, impossible to achieve, one that she never would have considered if she was still married to Jake. She ignored that small part and focused on more important things. How was she going to get to Madrid?

Two hours later, she was on a plane, armed with nothing but her gun and her wits.

* * *

Oh boy. Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! I'm glad you all see some sense in my story and are enjoying it. :)


	5. Chapter 5

There wasn't an agent waiting for her to disembark, which she had halfway expected. There were, however, about a hundred missed calls on her phone. She listened to the first few voicemails and deleted the rest.

"Bishop, where'd you go? Gibbs and Tony are here and I don't want to debrief them without you."

"Bishop, are you doing what I think you're doing? Get back here before Gibbs realizes you've gone crazy and he might let you live."

"Bishop, get your ass off of that plane." The last one was Gibbs, and she shivered slightly at the growl in his tone. She hoped they weren't on their way here, but she wasn't going to wait around and find out.

Tim had said that Liat was on a mission involving a priest, and the takedown was planned for this evening. Ellie took a taxi to an address several blocks away from the church and put her Ziva-finding plan into action. It was simple: she would walk up to the church and sit down on the front steps. This would accomplish two purposes. Number one, she would throw off Liat's plan, whatever it was. Number two, she was willing to bet that Ziva knew what she looked like and would be curious (or pissed off) enough to signal to her somehow.

 _This is never going to work,_ that small part of her said. She put that thought aside and took a deep breath before sitting down on the steps and taking out her phone, pretending to play a game while she waited for something – anything – to happen.

For hours she sat there, using up the battery on her phone as she idled the day away. She saw no sign of Liat or Ziva. She was about to come up with a plan B when she heard a low, accented voice behind her say, "Come with me, Agent Bishop."

She turned. She didn't recognize this tall Israeli man, but she assumed him to be Malachi. "Come with you where?" she asked, keeping her voice quiet.

"You will find out shortly."

Ellie had come this far, gambling everything on a hunch. She had nothing to lose now. She got up and followed him as he led the way into the church.

* * *

Four chapters left! Thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and reviewed. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, the writing style, and the idea. I know Liat as the villain is a bit of a stretch, but bear with me. I didn't want to create an entirely new character and she already had the connections I wanted. :P


	6. Chapter 6

They turned a corner, went down a set of stairs, and entered a confessional booth. Malachi motioned for her to take a seat, then closed the door and left.

"Why are you here?"

Ziva's voice was hoarse, as though she'd inhaled smoke recently. She must have been at the farmhouse until the very last second, Ellie thought.

"I'm here to help you and bring you home," she replied.

She heard Ziva shift in her seat. "I do not need or want your help. This is my ax to bear."

Ellie paused, confused. "Ax to bear?"

She felt rather than heard Ziva stiffen, then relax. "I take it Tony has not told you about my problems with American idioms."

"No."

"Regardless, my answer is still no. Malachi will get you back to the airport." Ellie heard the door start to open and knew it was now or never.

"I wouldn't let Tony come because I didn't want Tali to lose both of her parents if your mission went wrong." She waited, listening, refusing to indulge her curiosity and open her own door.

After a very long moment, she heard the door click shut.

"I wouldn't let Tim come because he has Delilah. And Gibbs, well, he's indispensable to all kinds of people. But I'm not. One of us was going to come and help you, and I couldn't let it be them, so it's me. I want to help you so I can help them – so you can go home to them. To your daughter."

She felt wood shift as Ziva sat down. "You do not even know me," she said quietly.

"But I know them."

The door opened again, and Ellie sighed, thinking that Ziva was leaving. Then her own door opened, and she saw the infamous Ziva David standing there. She looked battered, to put it mildly. She had bruises on her forearms and the side of her neck; small burns dotted her arms and legs, with a long burn over one shoulder, showing through her ripped shirt.

Ziva held out a hand. Tentatively, Ellie took it. Ziva pulled her to her feet. "I still do not like it," Ziva told her. "But I appreciate your reasoning."

"I'll follow your lead," Ellie told her. "I'll do whatever you need me to do. Just – get home."

"I will do my best." Without another word, Ziva turned and proceeded down the hallway. "Liat will be here shortly," she said over her shoulder. "It would be best if we were not."

* * *

And finally, Ziva! I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am. Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing!


	7. Chapter 7

Ellie trotted to keep up with Ziva, who seemed to have an impeccable sense of direction in the back alleys of Madrid. "How did you get here?"

"Malachi has a friend who has a friend. That friend patched me up well enough and flew me here, a day ahead of Liat and Malachi, before anyone knew that I did not die in the fire."

"What are you going to do?"

"Take Liat down before she has a chance to take me down. I will be doing myself and Mossad a favor."

"True enough. But how are you going to do that?"

Ziva's shoulders slumped, and she stopped on a side street to look at Ellie. "I do not know," she admitted. "Before, when I was a Mossad officer, I would have not even thought twice about killing her. But now?"

Ellie smiled. "Then it's a good thing you have me."

"Why is that, Agent Bishop?"

"Because I happen to be a US agent, who is perfectly justified to take out a threat to the daughter of another US agent. If I get the chance, I'll take it."

"You are not a killer," Ziva said, holding her gaze. "You are not as confident as you think you are."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

Ziva looked at her for a moment longer, then shook her head and smiled back. "You are here, indeed."

Their plan came together in a few short minutes. Liat knew that Ziva was here, although she wasn't yet sure how she survived the attack on the farmhouse. That was good, Ziva said; it meant she hadn't made Malachi. They could use Malachi to get close to her, then Ellie would draw her into conversation, distracting her enough to allow Ziva to take a shot.

"I'll shoot to disarm, first," Ziva said. Then she added, "Unless it's necessary for me to shoot to kill." Ellie nodded grimly.

"One more thing," the Israeli said. "If push comes to shove and you have a shot, do not wait to shoot until I am clear. If you must put me at risk to take out Liat, do it."

Ellie thought of Tony and Tali. "Are you sure?"

"I would rather die than let that woman threaten my child again. Yes, I am sure."

"Okay." Ellie paused, trying to think of how to phrase her next thought. "Agent David–"

"I am no longer an agent. Call me Ziva."

"Then call me Ellie. Ziva, the same applies to me. If you must put _me_ at risk–"

Ziva was shaking her head. "It is not the same."

"I'm here because it is," Ellie said flatly. "So if I'm at risk, you _take_ that shot."

* * *

Ooh, serious Ellie. Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! Just a few chapters to go.


	8. Chapter 8

They laid in wait for Liat in an old warehouse. Ziva was across the room; before she'd hidden herself, she had given Ellie an earpiece.

"Remember, Malachi will lure her here. Your job is to get her to the light in the middle," Ziva was saying quietly. "That will be my chance."

"I remember." They waited in silence for a few minutes before Ziva asked,

"Why do you say that you are not indispensable to anyone?"

Ellie sighed. "My ex-husband cheated on me, and now I'm alone. I have family, but my parents have my two brothers. They'd be all right if I was gone."

"I doubt that."

"I wouldn't be here if I doubted it."

"You have the team. You must care a lot about them, to put yourself in harm's way to protect them."

Ellie laughed bitterly. "I'm not you."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone says it. I hear it behind my back every day. 'Ellie's okay,' they say, 'but she's no Ziva.' I love Gibbs, Tony, Tim. I know they'd put themselves on the line for me – they have, many times. But I know I'm not you. I don't have the same – prominence – in their lives that you do."

"Give it time, Ellie. You know the story of how I arrived at NCIS, right?"

"Your brother."

"Yes. Everyone on the team viewed me with open suspicion for months. I had to prove myself over and over. After they accepted that I did not agree with Ari, it took quite some time for them to accept me as a person. You may think they do not need you, but I can tell that they do, just as much as you need them."

A door opened; Ziva and Ellie were instantly silent. From her position behind a stack of crates, Ellie could just barely see Liat in the dim light. The Israeli crept towards the light in the middle of the room, making no sound on the concrete floor.

Ellie took a deep breath, drew her weapon from her belt, and stepped out into the open. "Hello, Liat."

Liat stopped just short of the light. Ellie cursed inwardly. "An American - I thought so. You must be from NCIS. What, they couldn't spare DiNozzo?"

"He's a little busy, taking care of the two-year-old you almost killed."

Liat grinned. "Oh, calm down, Special Agent. You know it wasn't personal."

"It was money," Ellie said, holding Liat's gaze steadily. "You sold out your country for money."

"Once I finish this job, it will all be worth it." Liat began to pace around Ellie, carefully keeping out of the light. "I assume you didn't come alone, so let me tell you your options, little girl. You tell Ziva to come out, and I probably won't kill you."

"Your promises mean nothing to me," Ellie retorted. "All it will take is another payment for you to break that promise."

Liat laughed. "Okay, then. If you want a fight, you can have one." Quicker than a snake, she lunged, knocking Ellie's gun from her hand and putting a strong arm around her throat. "Oh, Ziva," she called teasingly. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Ellie's mind was racing. She'd told Ziva not to hesitate if she had a shot, regardless of whether Ellie was in the way. But since Ziva hadn't pulled the trigger yet, she was obviously ignoring that instruction. "Zi-va," Ellie gasped. Liat tightened her grip on her throat.

"Hush, little girl. Mama of the Year will be here to save you soon."

Ellie saw Ziva approaching through the crates and knew they were about to lose their chance. Desperately, she stomped as hard as she could on Liat's foot. Liat's grip faltered, and Ellie tore herself free. Liat growled with frustration and shot at Ellie. Ellie was too slow; she felt the bullet rip into her side from behind. She stumbled forward, falling onto the concrete. She heard another shot ring out before everything went black.

* * *

One chapter left! Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! I'm glad you're all enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it.


	9. Chapter 9

Ellie opened her eyes to three familiar faces.

"After you recover from being shot, I'm going to head slap you into the next century," Gibbs informed her.

"Okay," she mumbled. Tim gave her a cup of water and helped her sit up so she could drink. Tony supported her other side. "Where am I?"

"At a hospital in Madrid."

Her memory came flooding back. Figuring out where Ziva was. Flying to Spain. Finding Ziva. Fighting Liat. "Where's–"

"I'm right here." Ziva stepped into Ellie's view. She had a fresh bruise on her cheek, but was otherwise in one piece. "Everything is all right."

"Liat?"

"In custody. That was an excellent move, by the way."

Ellie smiled. "Thank you."

"She will be escorted back to Israel, where Malachi will convince Orli that she should be tried for treason." Ziva placed a careful hand on Ellie's shoulder. "Thank you, Ellie."

Ellie saw the other three watching them with interest. Gibbs looked resigned, like a father who had to constantly rein in his children. Tim looked happy. Tony looked... sad. "Tony?" Ellie asked.

"What is it, Bish?"

"What's wrong?"

He shrugged. "This is my fault," he said, trying to keep his voice light.

" _Your_ fault?" Ziva punched him in the arm; he winced. "How is this _your_ fault?"

"I walked away two years ago," he said. "There must have been a reason that you kept Tali from me. It must have been me. I should have stayed. Maybe then you wouldn't have had to go through this alone."

"I didn't go through it alone," she told him. "I had your – Ellie."

"My Ellie." He cracked a smile. "I guess she is ours, isn't she?"

"Of course she is," Tim said firmly.

"I only head slap my people," Gibbs put in. "This isn't your fault, Tony. It's not Ziva's fault, hell, it isn't even Eli's fault. It's Liat's fault, and only Liat's fault. I'm sure you and Ziva will have a lot of talking to do–"

"That's an understatement," Tony muttered under his breath.

"–but it's no one's fault but Liat's." He looked down at Ellie in the hospital bed. "You and I will have a lot of talking to do, too, Bishop."

"I know."

Gibbs patted her on the shoulder. "Rest up. We'll get you back home in no time." They filed out of the room, Ziva and Tim giving her one last smile before they closed the door behind them. Ellie rubbed the bandage on her side absently, thinking, _Home. Isn't that what I was avoiding in the first place?_

She knew that home would never be the same without Jake. But this insane adventure had shown her that home was what you made it.

She had a home with Gibbs, Tony, Tim, and maybe even Ziva. Ducky and Abby, certainly. Palmer, too. And hadn't she just proved that she was necessary to it?

All of a sudden, Ellie couldn't wait to go home.

* * *

And with that, we leave (most of) them in happiness. Thanks for going on this journey with me! Let me know what you think in the comments. What worked really well? What could I have improved? I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)

I'm working on another Ellie story, not necessarily in the same universe, but I've enjoyed getting inside her head and I want to do it again.


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